By the time Erdogan wins another election, he will
probably get rid of that "ridiculous" democracy
and will reinstall sheria law like in Ottoman times.
He believes that so much, he is gonna recommend
Brazilian government that law-system too...

Islam and democracy is a perfectly workable mix which has been proved in Turkey for many years. However Erdoğan and his party always tried to destroy it since they elected. They insist to say lies to Turkish people, and also to foreigners, such as EU. EU discovered it 5 years ago and Turkish people saw it Taksim demonstrations. Akp will lose next election and Erdogan will be sent to prison in a couple of years because of huge damage they did to Turkey.

Alcan Bolac Efkan İlknur with lawyers, Travel Park Actions, participating for the first time the night of May 31 and the top of the search had been detained women were exposed to naked by male police officers claimed. Press the top of a young girl had been detained in the police force 10 Efkan Bolac fingerprint lawyers stating, "Your daughter has bruising on the neck and spine.

Atatürk was O.K. in his attempts to westernize Turkey, but since he didn't succeed in separating Church from State as it had happened in Europe two centuries before, now the problems are in the limelight. Since the majority of the Turks with Erdogan consider the Koran the only rightful law, the protesters have no chance to win their cause. Democracy and Islam can't live together. Since the Islamists are expected to obey the Koran without questioning it, it goes without saying that failure to obey the Koran's law can only lead to much greater problems and conflicts. The best advise to the EU governments: "Hands off! Keep clear of Turkey!""

Dear Longman333, I think that the majority will not consider the Koran the only rightful law. Until 1991, Refah Party(AKP is a name chosen to pursue the rule and principles of pre-existing Refah Party)had even no chance of presenting their people because they presented only the smallest faction of Turkey (less than 5 % by that time)). So this is to say, the majority of current AKP people cannot be fundamentalist. The number increased due to the so-called modern but suppressing political parties (the last one in 1998 to my shame) who used the name of Atatürk for all the shame they caused: Banning girls with scarves/veils to the university. This was a very wrong move (besides the fact that you condemn only girls not the men as they don't have any particular dress code and girls were again subjected to illiteracy and to their destiny by this deprivation), generating the first seeds of polarisation among the traditionally muslims and so-called seculars. Secularity should have been interpreted as not meddling politically with any religious choices, I would hope. The rest is as you know: AKP has gradually increased by numbers as people lost their hope from the other strategically incompetent and polarising parties. AKP used its first years very subtly until they attained the majority in their 3rd term. Then, they showed their real face and suppressed more than any other parties any freedom, they disrespected people in so various fields, they polarised people by lying on so various grounds that people could not sustain their anger and frustration any more. Gezi Park has been an excellent opportunity to reduce the tension increasing within the folk. This is to say, even though I am atheist, the democracy and Islam could have worked pretty well among the majority (despite our cultural differences) if the political parties did not polarise the issue, if they did not forget to interprete the word secularism. To summarise this long story: this is not only AKP or for the same matter Refah Party that is to blame for the polarisation and non democracy.

Puaaaah:=) Pope was saying last months about a genocide in Ottoman Empire. This is how AKP started. They were talking about the genocide in Crusade. Atatürk sowed good seeds in Turkey, but an interpretation of his words by the majority of that time might have been somewhat twisted. The shrunken/collapsed empire once upon-a-time full of ethnical and religious groups had also left its seeds of nationalism and religious flavours. But, you are surprising me my friend, with your intolerance in so-called strong and secular democracy, so afraid of another religion. Was your personal secularism a success or are you just finding a pleasure by expressing yourself ''we and the others''?

Europeans are not afraid of another Religion. They are afraid of Islam which is a warlike Religion which is producing so many dangerous zealots and fanatics.That's the reason why Europeans do not want to have anything to do with. The experience of the past and present were and are proof enough to keep away from these people. A leopard never changes its spots.

Dear longman333, I will need to say not so much about your comments as it seems you are blocked in your biased world. One advice though: Check the CEO's in the world and maybe you will see that the world needs also Turks. Read the economist article and see what you discover. And maybe I will ask my Christian husband whether he considers revising our relation as I am a potential threat to the future of humanity :=)...My parents thought me only one religion and this is ''Respect every creature, no matter how different they are. Differences can only nurture your brain and tolerance level. Without these differences being there, you can forget to question. If you forget to question, you are never free.''

Europe doesn't need Turkey, let alone 80 million Islamists. Turkey is geographically, historically, culturally, and religiously not Europe. Europe has no interest to disappear neither as historical-cultural entity nor to border Syria, Iraq, Iran and to get involved in conflicts among Shiahs and Sunni Muslims. Europe can be a loyal ally and business partner with Turkey but there's nothing further to discuss.

Turkey's protests calming down ? Thank God, and that could not have come too soon. The protesters have the right to protest, not create havoc on the streets. Most of the protesters were peaceful, some were not, ripping up pavements and throwing stones at police, occasionally the odd Molotov cocktail, and tearing up buses.

Democracy does not include the above actions, and the Turkish police, provoked as they have been, are not entirely to blame if they have to control people who behave in an unruly manner.

The truth is that both sides need to show restraint and engage in dialogue. As for Mr Erdogan, he may be a great statesman and leader, but he needs to listen to his critics more. And his critics may be advised to protest without disrupting life for the rest of the society, or else sit at home.

Dear friend, most of these attacks had later been proven wrong. As you know, the civil police in action hit people with spiky buttons and I have seen there were some catapults just targeting at ordinary people whereas the police is just behind them. Thank you amateurs and your cameras!!!!
Second, most of the people in Istanbul had a lot to lose: Many of them are educated,have access to work anywhere in the world and yet they decided to stand there. Do you think that they would allow the people to be aggressive. The basic thing is known to all of them: You can only lose with agression and the world will not support you. That's why please sit down calmly and watch Halk TV just to see what kind of people there are. They are not one-second blurred shot like in the case of state-owned media, so you will have sufficient time to observe who they are. If you think they are not potentially yourself, I will then respect your choice. But the truth should be known to all of everbody for them to judge correctly and if Erdogan does not allow this to happen, we should wonder why he is lying. He seems to know he is doing something, he himself judges incorrect.

Dear friend, most of these attacks had later been proven wrong. As you know, the civil police in action hit people with spiky buttons and I have seen there were some catapults just targeting at ordinary people whereas the police is just behind them. Thank you amateurs and your cameras!!!!
Second, most of the people in Istanbul had a lot to lose: Many of them are educated,have access to work anywhere in the world and yet they decided to stand there. Do you think that they would allow the people to be aggressive. The basic thing is known to all of them: You can only lose with agression and the world will not support you. That's why please sit down calmly and watch Halk TV just to see what kind of people these people are. They are not one-second blurred shot like in the case of state-owned media, so you will have sufficient time to observe who they are. If you think they are not potentially yourself, I will then respect your choice. But the truth should be known to all of everbody for them to judge correctly and if Erdogan does not allow this to happen, we should wonder why he is lying. He seems to know he is doing something, he himself judges incorrect.

some turkish members here have for years tried to tell the economist and its pro-Akp correspondent that Akp and Erdoğan are not what they claim they are. They just pretend to fool you. now it seems the economist tries to confess, and get the hearts of people in gezi WHO are angry with such magazines as well as some tv stations that support Erdoğan no matter what; but The economist still stays in the list of people in Gezi to be Erdoğan supporter magazine as long as the correspondent of the TE keeps her job in the magazine, for no one forgets that she worked for media in Turkey that makes propaganda of Akp and Erdoğan. btw, i do not believe any one in akp would call the correspondent ''dirty armenian'', i think this correspondent makes it up in order to get sympathy of the people in gezi park and others WHO demonstrated against Erdoğan.

Many politic figures in europe believed Erdoğan, and some others supported Erdoğan for their own agendas; now they are the ones to blame for supporting such a man WHO ignores freedom of speech, democracy and others' constitutional rigths.

but we have to thank some of political figures in europe to support the public in gezi park; they share the same idea with people in gezi park or they don't, but what matters is those political figures in europe support democracy and freedom in Turkey.

I wonder if Erdogan felt he had to crack down to save the Olympic bid. From what I have heard, Turkey may not get it.
Obviously he has shown his true colors. He has focused on the economy but his true wishes have come out. I never trusted him. Politicians naturally make enemies, but Erdogan has made too many.

Well.. unfortunately Erdogan has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He reflects his own brain disorder onto his people. He always blames others. Never have I heard him say he could have handled anything any better. He keeps stating that he is EVERYONE's prime minister including those who didn't and would NEVER vote for him but his actions do not support these statements. He keeps polarizing the nation by referring to us as ''them'' ''those looters'' ''those drunkards''.. Just because we believe that anyone who prefers to do so should be able to purchase alcohol as long as s/he is of age. He is trying to make it look like it is over a few trees and a few cans of beer at wee hours in the morning. Then he switches original theory of who could have started this ''Gezi BS'' then he figures it could be CHP ( rival party) or America, or any country that is not muslim and therefore not a true friend to Turkey.
We also are afraid that the PM has some secret agenda when it comes to the PKK Terror Organization tdue to what we have lost thousands of Turkish soldiers fighting against. How could you take a terror organization that seriously that Turkey's PM could sit with them for a secret cause his nation doesn't know about.... There are also secretly recorded phone conversations and some of them are coded... But it is obvious that he is trying to ask for a ''favor'' at the expense of the taxpayer's money.
Erdogan does not give off a trustworthy vibe. It is really hard to believe a PM could be both deaf and blind to his own people's outcry. 3 Turkish citizens died and all deaths are police and state violence related but a mayor who is close to the PM puts up a banner at the park where a protester got killed by a policeman that read ''Thank you the Turkish police. We are proud of you''.
This government announced, anyone who is at the Park when the cops arrive will be considered a terrorist and treated as such and they actually did treat us like terrorists while having a secret agenda with the real terrorists.
At this point, Erdogan does not have his people's full trust. Only his supports do support him for fear that there will be a left-wing party that will be governing wwhich they believe automatically a less religious Turkey which they are against. But what they are missing here is that not everyone who has participated in the resistance are CHP supporters. You got all kinds of people from all kinds of walks of life and still feels that PM polarizes Turkish people and make us enemies within our communities. I do believe he has great TYRANT qualities. He ould be a great Sultan somewhere where democracy is not practiced. However, Ataturk is the true eternal leader of Modern Turkey and we are his followers, students, kids and soldiers, Modern Turkey is what Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded and wanted for us and his wish is our ultimate command.

This magazine keeps on putting Turkey in Europe although only 3% of it is in Europe and 97% in Asia. This fixation is inconceivable. You should buy a geographical atlas and consult it. Turkey an Islamic Asian country has in common with Europe only the chasm which divides them. Turks have to withdraw fron Cyprus.

How pathetic some single dimensional brains can get? Cyprus you mention is entirely in Asia by geography, yet geographically 20% of Turkish population live in Europe, politically 100% of Turkey is in Europe.

That's right. Turks came from Asia, conquered Constantinople )now Istambul) and defeated the European people living there (Byzantine Empire) and invaded Greece and the Balcans besieging even Vienna. They were true enemies,invaders of Europe and were stopped at Vienna and at Lepanto at last and finally they were driven away from the Balcan and from Geece. The point that they occupied for 500 years illegally part of Europe is no excuse to consider Turkey as an European country and the Turks as Europeans. You can put that idea out of your head.

Turks are an Asian population which invaded the Byzantine Empire founded by Roman emperor Constantine the Great with a completely European population. The Turks conquered a country which didn't belong to them and from then on (1422) have lived there. That hasn't got anything to do with the geography. They simply occupied enemy's territory.

Where did Finns, Hungarians come from, where did the British come from? What makes the British European?

When civilisation existed long before the British did, there was the Roman Empire East and West capital was Constantinople (ISTANBUL).... so take your stupid argument about Turks being in Europe or not elsewhere to your own level.

Only the Turks living in EU countries have larger population than half of the other EU countries. (10 million) Another 15-20 million in Thrace makes nearly 25 million Turks living in Geographic Europe, politically Turkey is already 100% in Europe.

There are timing errors in all this messaging but just to make my points clear, Turks and Turkey are a part of Europe and your wishful potentially xenophobic approach will not and can not change this fact. Turkey should not become a part of EU, I %100 agree with this, but I will also vote for the UK to get out of the EU! For all I care there is no Europe or European culture or unified economy. There is a bankrupt club, that did not work. I always professed it would not work, as I was taught History in secular Ataturk's Turkish schools.

Geographically, politically, sociologically you have us so you better make the best of us! It is a mutual relationship! You can have your club, but you can not always have your cake and eat it!So far Europe, USA, as was directed by RAND corporation think tank of the CIA supported the islamo-fascist AKP government. I advise that they better change sides before they need to over throw them by a major war. These islamo-fascists will eventually attack Israel too... Only way is to support Ataturk's followers.

We are not fond of the USA for bringing AKP to power and investing $500 billion when they thought it was too much to land to Ecevit governemnt $10 billion in 2001. We will never forgive the USA, and UK goverments are also guilty for backing fundamentalist Islam.

The Finns, the Hungarians are European populations which emigrated from different parts of Europe setting up home in uninhabitated European territories. The British are a population formed by several European tribes:Romans, Anglo-Saxons (Germans), Normans (Norsemen),but all Europeans. They are all Christians. For the Europeans the area now called Turkey after Alexander the Great was Hellenized, which continued with the Roman rule and the transitor into the Byzantine Empire. The Seliuk Turks began migrating into the area in the 11th century from central Asia, starting the process of Turkification. Starting from the late 13th century, the Turks united Anatolia and created an empire encompassing much of Southeastern Europe. After several ups and down we have the today's Turkey. It is a matter of fact therefore that the Turks are not Europeans and in addition they are Islamists. What do you want more?

Turks, Hungarians, Finns are all Uralo Altaic tribes and speak similar languages. Roman were not Christians, so get that Christian Europe crap out of your mind, nor were Turks ever Muslims. That is all much more recent history. Turks existed long before Islam, but Europe and British did not, that is where you are mising the point, British came from elsewhere and that is not necessarily Europe as such. Large parts of western Ural mountains geographically in Europe are populated by Turks, and there are many non-muslim Turks in Russia.

Frankly, Christianity has done more damage to civilisation than Islam. Now it looks like Islam's turn.

Don't try and teach your mother to suck eggs. History is my speciality! Why don't just admit that history for you is a closed book and go to the next library and brush up on your ignorance? If there is not such a thing as Europe as you say, why are you craving and yearning for becoming part of it. In this case you'd better give up racking your brain and dedicate yourself to solve your problems which are no joke?

Poor man!You are not very good in your special subject, no idea about the roots of languages, cultures, and totally ignorant to present geographical and demographical facts.
On top of it you do not read what I have written... no point in discusing with you as you are also very rude.

I am a British citizen, I would vote for Britain to leave EU, and if I had the vote in Turkey, I would vote against Turkey joining in. This is about EU. The fact that Turkey is in Europe, European Council, other European cultural/sports etc organisations is the present demographical, political and geographical fact. This can not change whether Turks or anyone lse craves or cries or yearns. Carry on masturbating.

You are British and you don't even know how Great Britain was formed. That's funny. Brittania was a melting pot of European people, only Europeans: Celtics, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Norsemen, Normans and the English language is traditionally described as having passed through four major stages over about 1500 years:Anglo-Saxon rooted in the German dialects influenced later by Norman French (Latin). If you don't like my opinion about that I can't help - improve yourself: ignorance can be cured. Stupid is forever.

You are ignorant of geography, however arbitrary European peninsula is defined Britain is an island off the shores of Europe, so is Iceland, both members of EU whilst Cyprus is 100% in Asia.

What is the point of arguing with a single dimensional brain like yours when I made the point Turkish, Hungarian and Finnish all had the same root Uralo Altaic languages, you talk of how English came about.

Turkey was not in Europe for 500 years, it occupied parts of Europe with military force and was forced to withdraw subsequently. The trouble was that it did not withdray enough as far as its original departure bases: Altai and Central-Asia.

Why are Turks so yearning for getting Europeans. Have they not realized that the Europeans want to have nothing to do with them? Nothing is worse than an unrequited 'love'but it's so. They must comprise that Turks for the Europeans are Asians and belong to a completely alien culture, beautiful, exotic but alien, which has nothing in common with Europe and with the Europeans. In addition to that they have a religion whose true believers all fanatic are.

Mob violence, occupying public spaces in the name of freedom and clashing with riot police represent a European interpretation of democracy, not ours. The principle of Turkish democracy is an exchange of votes for public services and therefore a matter of economic (not political) interest.

Clashing with the police? Please do not let your favoritism and your ideology blind your perspective. Non-violent resistance/protests/demonstrations are CONSTITUTIONAL rights! In Turkey, by the law, you can gather to protest ANYTHING peacefully without having to get a permit beforehand. I suggest you read our beautiful REPUBLIC's Constitution. Sounds like you mistake Turkey for some place where Sultans do as they wish without democracy.
Election is not the only phase of democracy. Erdogan keeps calling us ''those looters'' , ''them'', ''those several thugs''. This is called POLARIZATION. He keeps saying he is everyone's prime minister BUT he keeps calling us THEM. If he believes blindly that 50% of the society of voting age chose him... let's assume that this is true..then what about US the other 50% ? Plus if he is that DEMOCRATIC and SURE that he will be elected again, why not ban the 10% threshold! No democratic country has a threshold of 10% for political parties to represent its people. Pull it down to 3%-6% somewhere THEN we will TRY to trust you and your policies and will applaud you for voting for a great PM. Until then, we want to be REPRESENTED and HEARD too

Public demostrations are regulated by Turkish law number 2911, dated 8 November 1983. PLEASE NOTE that this law came into effect 30 years before Erdogan became prime minister and is in agreement with Turkey's constitution which has been in effect since 1982.

Turkey's law requires people who want to stage a demonstration to notify the governor 48 hours in advance. This notice is not a request for permission and it must include the purpose of the demonstration, the place and the time and the organisers' identities and addresses. If the governor sees the demonstration as a threat to public order and peace, he may postpone or forbid it. Once the demonstration begins, the organisers must see to it that the original purpose is observed and public order is maintained. If a demonstration becomes a threat to public order, the organisers may ask a government representative to break it up or the government representative can do this of his own accord. Demos may not be staged before sunrise or after sunset. In closed spaces, a demo may continue until 11:00pm.

Main streets, public parks, places of worship, government buildings and places lying within a kilometer of parliament, including Gezi Park, are stipulated as offlimits areas. I have looked up UK law as well. The Gezi park protest would have been illegal in the UK as well, see SOCPA for instance. In short, the right to stage a protest demonstration is not a licence to make a commotion, to clash with the police, to make headlines, to cause the stock exchange to plummet ot to cause Turkey embarrassment overseas for that matter. Turkey is not a riot zone.

So where is this supposedly "great moderniser" of Turkish democracy. Sine AKP came to power, all democratic freedoms have been under attack. There are hundreds of innocent people in prison for opposing the islamofascists still awaiting their fate under the courts appointed by the government. AKP abolished the impartial and inependent judiciary. Hence no election in Turkey has been free or fair..

This AKP mob are islamo-fascist dictators and before the Turkish Youth brings them down, they will collapse under the ruins of the foreign debt they accumulated in getting Turkish economy bankrupt.

well what happens if this governor was handpicked by the current government thus he thinks that ANY kind of peaceful protest is harmful to society? Do you think that thousands of protesters have been in the streets because there have been mutual understanding and respet for a democratic right? I'm not saying anything about the occupation of the park, since this is barely about the park at this point. We are talking about people who can't even gather in Taksim SQUARE where there is NO traffic. Simply put, it's a gotdamn square for ALL. The reason this has gotten way out of hand is not the protesters it's the treatment us as the people have received. It's the WRONG and UNLAWFUL everything that's been happening. Nobody trusts the law anymore since it's not being practiced or it's being used for their supporters. AKP is the biggest GANG Turkey has ever had.. He has announced Cihad on his own people!! WAKE UP

I can't judge the government’s actions and who can. Look at the recent history in the Islamic world, where violence has been instigated from external powers to topple the leaders and how can we say that these leaders are worse than any other. No one is actively trying to remove Robert Mugabe from power and he has openly promoted the murder of peaceful farmers. Has logic died or is everybody to afraid to think?

Washington and Tel Aviv made no secret of their plans to remove Al-Assad from power for years. When the Qatari instigation to promote a revolution followed, Syria turned into a bloodbath. How can we be mindless enough to think its better somehow and how can we believe we know what is the true issues of another country. I know this, history has proven that the US government cannot be trusted; also the UN Security Council and the NATO clique cannot be trusted...what was wrong with Gaddafi more than any other leader...just think about it...do you truly think Tel Aviv has the best interest of Syria in mind?...seriously...

European and USA engagement and support brought the islamofascists to power.

Turkey definitely needs to separate from USA, NATO and EU engagement, bankrupt, greedy capitalism means less freedom, whether that matters to anyone. It seems everyone is after democracy, whatever that means, Turks are after freedom, human rights.

Open society now with police gassing its own people, press censorship, no freedom of expression (sorry no fredom except praisin Allah and the Crime minister), bankrupt economy, 25% unemployment, a sick muslim society.